Luke and Jane in Kongwa

We are in Kongwa, in St Philip's Theological College that was Luke's home from age 1 to 16. We are staying in the Guest Wing of the College, on the upper storey of the original 1914 College building, from where we can see 40km out to the north over the plains. We have been visiting several people in the college and community, and we've been given 2 goats and a chicken. These will become part of meals to which we have been invited.
On Thursday 31st Dec we went 5km down from the college to Kongwa town. We called on an Indian trader friend, then went to see Mama Foibe Mbogo at her home. Dad phoned from Melbourne on our mobile, and spoke with her for 15 minutes. Foibe is now 96, a retired nurse who taught alongside Dad and Mum in the college 33 years ago. Her father, Danyeli, had been in the first intake of students in the college 1914, when Foibe was just a baby.
This evening we will be going to dinner at the home of Douglas and Rachel Mwitewe, loyal friends of Dad and Mum. Douglas is studying in St Philip's College, and Rachel teaches the theologs' wives.
It is wonderful for me (Jane) to see these people and places that mean so much to the Prentices! Praise God with us that we are keeping well, and pray for more rain in Tanzania.

mvumi - visiting molleni and leon's birthplace!

Elizabeth from the uni very kindly lent us her car - which we drove to mvumi!

2 tasks here - find leon's birthplace... the mvumi hospital, which was a mission hospital and the best place to have a little one when leon popped out back in the 70's.

As photo 1 shows - we found it :-)

the other task was to find Molleni - she's the matron of the girls school, but as school is on holidays and the rains have come, she was in her shamba (field). So we asked (well, luke did) an askari (guard) where we could go, and he eventually came with us to show us where. We travelled through many shamba villages to her one - which is right on the road slaves used to be taken along, and missionaries used to travel on (john briggs etc.) - missios would try and buy/free slaves when they could.
Anyways, we found molleni (pic 2) and her house built this year (pic 3) and she showed us her shamba with mahindi (corn) and mangoes and rice and millet.... very clever.

then we connected her via the handy mobile phone to hugh and dorothy back home :-)
she was very happy.

new tz license

armed with a brand spanking new tanzanian driving license we're gonna try to drive to mvumi then kongwa.

this was the real heart of my (luke's) tanzanian experience as a child, so i'm really looking forward to showing jane these important parts of my history.

the next few days

hoping to head to mvumi (where leon was born) and kongwa (where Luke's parents worked for 25 years) - both on the map below:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111912803863948993529.00047bb19773dd3f83f74&ll=-6.300284,36.118927&spn=0.619706,0.883026&t=h&z=10


challenge will be getting there with the rains which have washed away some roads.
and finding the mango tree luke planted as a kid.

:-)

some tanzanian mysteries

where do all the people go when the rains come? Such heavy rain! And where do the bugs go? And how do the hundreds of bugs get into houses that have mozzie screens on all windows and doors???

Shopping... where do tanzanians do their shopping? We've been going to one of the expensive mini supermarkets run by some of the muslims here... but the prices and range are western and not sustainable for everything. Do they shop at markets only? Or do they buy different products from different shops (meat from a meat shop, fruit from the market)... it seems a big mystery of a cultural divide.

kangas... worked out (with Elizabeth's help) that kangas can, in fact, be tied over pregnant bumps... and they tend to be the clothing of choice for funerals (for women).

tanzanian christmas 2

1 chatting with family back home on christmas day

 

2 Tanzanian Christmas fare - pilau, bananas, cassava leaves (covered), chicken... potatoes. yum!

 

3 Lunch with Bishop Ntiruka and his family - including his son David, who remembers racing Luke as kids... and David won. Luke doesn't remember the incident :-)

 

4 Dinner on Christmas day at the new dodoma hotel with Bishop Mhogolo, who was at Ridley/Jude's 1976-80, his wife, daughter, her fiance and Jane Window (teaching at the school Luke went to as a youngster!)

 

tanzanian christmas

1.  Jane and Elizabeth at the Uni chapel on Christmas eve - Elizabeth works in IT at the uni, and preached at the 9pm service. She lives next door to the Carr's and we've had a lovely time hanging out with her (plan tonight is for a dvd and some relaxing!). We noted the merry christmas sign had some issues...

 

2. A gigantic snail! Enjoying the rain.

 

3  Christmas morning - making luke some fresh orange juice squeezed as a treat!

 

4 at church.. the english service at the cathedral. during the offering this rooster was given! classic. traditionally such offerings are auctioned at the end of the service.

 

whoops - milo left out of previous blog

milo noted here!

luke's first school, climax club and buying a kanga

The building where luke first went to school - his strongest memory: standing on the concrete lining up for assembly!

This school is also where Laura White (Firth) and Maria Brand (-Starkey) taught :-) Hurrah! Nice to check it out! (Maria and Laura - Jane Window and Irene (mama bishop) said hi! and come back!)

 

The pods Luke used to collect - when they are dry (see photo - it's brown) - they were super handy for percussion instruments!

 

The Climax Club - a place of family fun for the young Prentices... many a soda and swim were enjoyed here!

 

Many women in Tanzania wear 'kangas' - printed on one side, large sheet type pieces of material, with little phrases/proverbs on the bottom that are usually something to do with God (e.g. 'Has not strayed from God's path', 'God alone knows the salvation of man' etc.) So we bought one for Janey - and this little shop was in an area of Saba Saba (seven seven - a clothes market) away from normal foreigner interaction, so we were hardly hassled as we walked through and the prices were not inflated for white faces!

They seem to be worn over other clothes - skirts i think... and readjusted as they come loose over the day... and are handy for use like an apron in the kitchen or while cleaning... but don't go easily over a pregnant bump!

Sites around st john's uni

The tree where Germans conducted their 'justice' during a previous era in Tanzania (the place bodies were hung)

 

A lecture theatre

 

One of the private shops on the uni grounds supplying students with handy things (note the milo on the left!!)

 

Alfred visiting - he was a student at Kongwa, and a teacher, and the principal for a while.